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Volume 52, Issue 43 | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Students weigh in on immigration, DACA Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s students engage in campus conversation following national policy changes By COURTNEY BECKER and MARTHA REILLY News Editor and Saint Mary’s Editor
Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a series addressing various political issues and their impact at Notre Dame one year after the 2016 election. Today’s story focuses on immigration and student perspectives on the DACA repeal. Less than a week after the 2016 election, Universit y President Fr. John Jenkins held an interfaith prayer ser v ice during which he promised undocumented students at Notre Dame that
they have the full support of the Universit y. “You accepted our inv itation to come to Notre Dame,” he said at the prayer ser v ice held Nov. 14, 2016. “You are part of our family. We w ill do ever y thing we can to ensure that you complete your education, and you are supported in ever y way possible.” Two days later, on Nov. 16, College President Jan Cer velli took a sign demonstrating her support for undocumented students — as well as support for Saint Mar y’s becoming a sanctuar y campus — from a group see DACA PAGE 4
CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
A group of students holds up signs showing their support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on Sept. 12. The policy allows children of undocumented migrants in the United States to work and study.
Law students confront issue of wrongful convictions By SELENA PONIO Associate News Editor
Second year Notre Dame law student Erika Gustin is more involved in what happens after a trial than during. “Before I started law school I started looking into w rongful conv iction statistics and information
on my ow n, which is absolutely horrif y ing,” Gustin said. “It came out off an interest in process improvement. Ever y thing is a process and ever y thing can be improved.” Gustin is involved in the Notre Dame Exoneration Project, a group working w ith the Chicago Exoneration Project to
represent inmates who were w rongfully conv icted and get them out of jail. She said a lot of w rongful conv ictions usually result from eyew itness misidentifications, fault y human memor y or leading questions from the police. “A lot of it tends to involve see LAW PAGE 4
Dance Company to host annual fall performance By ALEXANDRA MUCK News Writer
The Notre Dame Dance Company w ill host its annual Showcase, featuring 22 dances — including solo performances — and 70 of the 300 Dance Company. In an email, senior Marne Fairhurst, a member of the Dance Company, said each dance is independent, and there are a mix of group dances, duets, trios and
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solos. Fairhurst said the Dance Company hosts one show per semester. Each show is performed at Washington Hall and run by the students, including the choreography and logistics for the show. The Company hires someone to do the lights and sound. Junior Marisa Lenga, president of the Dance Company, said in an email that this year’s
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show is looking to further integrate the group’s t wo dance companies — the gold company and the blue company — as well as highlight tap dancing. “We are tr y ing to showcase tap w ith the addition of our tap commissioner position on the executive board,” she said. “We are also tr y ing to blend the gold/blue and tap see DANCE PAGE 3
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Angela Athletic Facility reopens By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer
The new Angela Athletic Facilit y opened Tuesday at Saint Mar y’s after more than a year and a half of construction on the building that hadn’t been prev iously renovated since the 1970s. The facilit y is now open to students and facult y w ith brand new cardio and strength equipment and a larger indoor running track. Construction is still ongoing in the facilit y to finish work on the new cafe, t wo T V lounges and new locker rooms that w ill be finished after w inter break. Saint Mar y’s athletic director Julie Schroeder-Biek said after hav ing offices in separate buildings, she is ready to have all of the athletic staff back in one place. “One of the things I’m so excited about is the staff being back together again,” Schroeder-Biek said. “It’s been a challenge to just stay on the same page. We have monthly meetings and we’re a tight staff, but I can’t wait
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until we’re back together again.” Schroeder-Biek said she is most excited about what the new Angela facilit y is going to do for the larger communit y. “It’s going to have something for ever ybody,” she said. “If you want to workout, if you want to grab coffee, if you just want to hang out, meet friends or study, it’s going to be a real hub of communit y.” Sophomore soccer captain Callie Doyle said she thinks the new building and equipment w ill help get ever yone in the door to workout. “I think the improvements that they made to Angela w ith benefit ever yone whether they do a sport or not,” Doyle said. “The new equipment and track w ill help ever yone get motivated to work out even when it’s cold outside.” Freshman soccer player Brianna Smith said she is excited that student athletes w ill finally have the see ANGELA PAGE 3
ND W BASKETBALL PAGE 12
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The observer | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Community members and students gather in Duncan Student Center for the International Taste of South Bend food festival. The event featured free food samples from local multicultural restaurants and entertainment from Notre Dame students.
The next Five days:
Want your event included here? Email news@ndsmcobserver.com
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
GIS Day Hesburgh Library 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Learn to harness the power of geospacial data.
Be Immortalized: Become a Work of Art Snite Museum 10 a.m. - noon 3-D scanning.
“Is Capitalism Moral?” Dahnke Ballroom 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. Lecture by visiting professor.
“Total Mobilization — World War II and American Literature” Snite Museum of Art 12:30 p.m - 1:30 p.m. World War II lecture.
Volleyball vs. North Carolina State Purcell Pavilion 1 p.m. The Irish take on the Wolfpack.
Vespers Geddes Hall Chapel 5:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life.
Men’s Basketball vs. Chicago State Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m. The Irish take on the Cougars.
Volleyball vs. North Carolina Purcell Pavilion 7 p.m. The Irish take on the Tar Heels.
Football vs. Navy Notre Dame Stadium 3:30 p.m. The Irish take on the Midshipmen on Senior Day.
RCIA - Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Welcome Basilica of the Sacred Heart 3:30 p.m.
News
ndsmcobserver.com | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | The Observer
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Author shares ‘The Happiness Effect’ research By MAEVE FILBIN and ERIN GRIMES News Writers
In an online world dominated by likes, follower ratios and habitual posting, are college students becoming slaves to their Snapchat streaks? Author Donna Freitas addressed this question Tuesday in a lecture on her book “The Happiness Effect: How Social Media is Driv ing a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost.” Freitas explored how students use social media to construct an identit y, nav igate the world, create relationships w ith peers and build connections w ith professionals. Through her research, she has come to find that in this process, college-aged students are experiencing a disconnect from authentic happiness.
Dance Continued from page 1
company more by hav ing pieces that incorporate jazz and tap.” Tap commissioner Francesca Carfagnini, a sophomore, is choreographing two dances in the showcase. “You get out of it what you
“It’s like a bad boy friend,” Freitas said. “You know [social media] is bad for you, but you can’t help going back to it.” As part of her research, Freitas v isited 13 colleges and universities across the United States and sur veyed 900 students through online essays. In their answers, most students said they felt pressured to appear perfect, successful and happy in ever y way. They said it was taboo to post complaints, attempts to garner sy mpathy and political or religious affiliations — any thing that might be construed as negative or controversial. In Freitas’ online sur vey, 73 percent of students responded “yes” to the statement: “I tr y always to appear happy/ positive w ith any thing attached to my real name.” “The appearance of happiness is placed above your
actual happiness,” Freitas said. The professionalization of Facebook has made users much more aware of their “audiences” — ranging from close friends and family, to college admissions offices, to potential employers. Freitas said this high-stakes env ironment has forced users to spend an unreasonable amount of time and effort on deciding what is appropriate content to post. In her study, Freitas found that some students adhered to posting during “high-traffic times” for optimal exposure and religiously followed the “three C’s of social media” — crafting a post, curating a brand and cultivating an audience. “Your real name is a brand that you are responsible to promote and protect,” she said. “You’re like a mini
company. The reputation of your name is the reputation of your brand.” These carefully created online identities have changed the way college students experience the world. Freitas said one of her subjects, a “beautiful, intelligent sororit y v ice president” under the pseudony m “Emma,” was extremely frustrated w ith this new realit y. “People used to do things and then post them, and the approval you gained from whatever you were putting out there was a by product of the actual activ it y,” Emma said in her inter v iew w ith Freitas. “Now the anticipated approval is what’s driv ing the behav ior of the activ it y.” Freitas presented the smartphone as a social media deliver y system in which hits of self-esteem, or hits to the self-esteem, are always
available. This non-stop feedback loop has made users feel they also must always be “on,” no matter the situation or time of day, keeping some people scrolling through timelines well into the night. Freitas said the line bet ween using social media and being used by it is ever-blurring. In her research, Freitas said she found many students attempted to cope w ith this oppressive cycle through various means — social media sabbaticals, periods of unplugging, Wi-Fi free spaces and using anony mous accounts for true expression. “People are seeking freedom from the compulsion of their phones,” Freitas said.
put into it, so that’s why I decided to choreograph,” she said. One of her dances is a smaller group dance, and one is a larger dance. “You have to keep that in mind, who’s in the dance,” she added. “The smaller group, there’s auditions for that one. It’s super technical, so that’s the focus of it. The other one is more high
energ y.” To choreograph, Carfagnini said she spends some time by herself listening to the song and practicing to see what dance moves work before she teaches the steps to others. “I go in there, spend about an hour or so by myself, and tr y different things,” she said. “W hen you get
something that works, you feel that it works.” Carfagnini said she doesn’t w rite dow n the steps to the dances. Instead, she uses muscle memor y to remember the dances. In prev ious years, she added, anyone in Dance Company could perform in a tap dance, but this year there were auditions for a tap company. “I really wanted to make tap a bigger part of the company,” she said. “One of my initiatives this year is to make Tap Company a more legitimate aspect of Dance Company. … Just because you can do turns, leaps and kicks, it doesn’t necessarily translate into tap.” Carfagnini said once
a dancer made the tap company, the indiv idual could perform in any tap dance. This year’s show features three tap dances and one tap-ja zz mix. “It gives people who are only on tap more opportunities to be on the show,” Carfagnini, who only performs tap, said. “There’s quite a few people who only do tap, so I feel like it’s better represented now, which is nice.” Shows take place Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available for $ 5 at the door.
Angela
Sophomore Molly Murphy, also a member of the Saint Mar y’s soccer team, said she and her friends w ill finally find it easy to get nutritious food. “I’m really excited for the cafe,” she said. “It w ill be an easy and convenient way to get a healthy post workout snack that ever yone would want after a hard practice or workout.” Schroeder-Biek said she is ready for people to v isit Angela and test out the brand new equipment and new spaces for athletes and the communit y. “The whole potential of what we can do w ith the building, expanding programs, and the things that can happen in this space, and how we’re going to bring it to life — I’m just so excited thinking about what we can do,” she said.
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room they need for workout classes, after spending seasons w ithout a practical workout area. “I’m excited about the new space in the athletic training rooms,” Smith said. “We won’t be crowded in small rooms any more getting taped up, and there is room for new ice baths which w ill help athletes a lot through their season.” After tr y ing out the new facilit y, senior Gabby Moody said she was pleasantly surprised by the renovations. “It just seems like a ver y clean space and it just has so much more variet y and options for us to take care of our physical and mental health,” she said. Students are looking forward to the new cafe that is going to feature new choices for on-campus dining.
Contact Maeve Filbin at mfilbin01@saintmarys.edu and Erin Grimes at egrimes01@saintmarys.edu
Contact Alexandra Muck at amuck@nd.edu
Contact Sydney Doyle at sdoyle01@saintmarys.edu
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NEWS
The observer | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
DACA Continued from page 1
of students handing them out in Le Mans Hall. One year later, the University and College administrations have continued to support undocumented students, but the stakes are higher. On Sept. 5, the Trump administration announced plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows children of undocumented migrants in the United States to work and study. Trump gave the House and Senate a six-month deadline to pass legislation to replace DACA, but over two months later there is no plan in place to do so. Notre Dame junior Gargi Purohit, a beneficiary of DACA and president of the Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy, said while she appreciates the support she has received from the University community, she wants to see more action from the administration in terms of protecting undocumented students at Notre Dame. “I think the University, while they have showed that they’ve cared for us, I think that they need to start making plans for us before something bad happens,” Purohit said. “So we met with the Notre Dame administration right after the news of DACA — like the day after — and they told us their plans, which was just so frustrating because we asked them in a meeting the entire year before after Trump got elected, ‘What’s your plan?’ and they finally got back to us.” Given the administration’s timing thus far, Purohit said she is concerned that any protection for DACA students will
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some kind of misconduct. It can either be official misconduct, police or prosecutors, or it might just be a bad process,” she said. “[In] 12 percent of exoneration cases with misidentification, they found the police pointed out or made clues about who they wanted to pick.” Gustin said wrongful convictions can also result from placing too much stock in eyewitness testimonies. “You also find instances where the suspect is shown to the witness multiple times,” she said. “The human brain is really good at copying and pasting faces onto other bodies. In many cases they’re not lying — they’re just unfortunately incorrect in what they remember.” The Notre Dame Exoneration Project will be placing vases of white roses on the tables in the law
be put in place too late. “I really want them to move at a faster pace and not divulge what their plan is after DACA [gets] taken away,” she said. “And, God forbid, after … one of our parents or one of us gets detained, that’s when they really start taking action. So they’re capable of doing so much more, and I think they need to go a lot faster than the pace going on right now, and not wait until the last minute after something bad happens.” Protests and petitions among students have also become less prevalent since Trump’s election and his announcement about DACA. Saint Mary’s junior Teresa Brickey, who hopes to pursue a career in immigration law, said students are instead turning to other movements to seek actual influence on policy. “[Last year], I was a part of that, going out and protesting, getting people together,” she said. “This year, I haven’t seen it so much. I’m at the point where I don’t want to act upon initial feelings anymore. I want to do something only if it’s fruitful. It’s still important to protest — I’m definitely not disregarding that — but I don’t want to just put words on cardboard and go out and stand. Rather, we should be calling senators and being active participants in our democracy.” While most of the public response to DACA being rescinded has taken the form of support for those affected by the decision at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s, there are students who take a more conservative stance on DACA and other issues of immigration. Notre Dame junior Jeffrey Murphy, treasurer of the College Republicans, said he wishes Trump hadn’t given legislators a six-month timeframe
in which to replace DACA. “I think he should’ve ended it overnight, and if Congress wants to act, Congress can act,” Murphy said. While Murphy said he is comfortable expressing his views on DACA, Saint Mary’s senior Christina Herrera, who approves of DACA’s repeal, said the College’s campus is less open to conservative opinions. “I felt like I was being targeted in class when I would speak out against DACA just because it doesn’t really help anyone,” she said. “The point of it is to have them stay here, and we need permanent legislation, not something temporary again that you’re going to have to renew in another six months or 12 months. I think a lot of people who are very pro-DACA or are here for DACA don’t want to hear that, because they just automatically think you’re against them.” Purohit said she has trouble hearing out people who are against DACA because she believes they are often misinformed. “At this point, I’m really debating on whether I need to listen to the other side because often times I hear the other side, and it’s all just misconceptions,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of facts. It’s all really prominently based on myths and on hate, so I really wish, given this current climate on politics and given how much damage Trump has done to so many areas, I wish people would really take their time and learn about how the politics are really affecting students.” While Murphy said DACA recipients are the only group of undocumented immigrants he feels “could receive special consideration,” he still wants to see Trump and Congress put “America first” on this issue. “On my list of wins and
losses, DACA falls under a loss at the moment because we had the 15 minutes where Attorney General [Jeff] Sessions announced DACA was going to be rescinded, and I thought, brilliant,” he said. “ … [Trump] made very strong remarks that he was going to rescind DACA, but then he said things like DACA recipients shouldn’t worry and that Dreamers should — I think his quote was ‘rest easy.’ So then I’m thinking is he or isn’t he going to do what he promised, which was put American interests first.” Brickey, however, believes allowing the country to benefit from the contributions of undocumented immigrants is putting America first. “Undocumented students, professors and community members are still just as important to this community at Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, South Bend, our country on a broader scale, as I am or citizens are,” Brickey said. “They’re contributing in ways that we may not see or know because we don’t see their work every day. … Their contributions are just as important as my own.” Herrera said this is an emotional view to take and that she thinks immigrants can achieve citizenship through proper channels. “I’m Hispanic, and I have friends that are affected by DACA … and there are immigrants in my family, so I understand why it’s so emotional,” she said. “I could never imagine having my parents there one day, and then they’re gone the next, so I totally understand that. … I’m against [undocumented] immigration just because there are people who have worked so hard to get here legally.” An additional argument that Murphy said is less reasonable
than it initially seems to be is that children should not be punished for their parents’ crimes. “There are plenty of children that suffer because their parents commit crimes,” Murphy said. “Like the Enron executives — their children are paying the price for their parents committing crimes. Bernie Madoff’s kid killed himself because the repercussions of his father’s illegal activity were so harsh. So when your parent commits a crime, there are going to be repercussions and children are going to have to pay the price. That’s true for American criminals and that’s true for illegal alien criminals.” Purohit said she has resigned to the idea that Notre Dame’s campus — and beyond — will remain split on the issues of immigration and DACA. “I think there are just always going to be people on the other side that will always just stay there,” she said. “And I don’t think that they’ll ever really try to understand the other side and really try to listen to these stories and do their own research and hear the facts, and I think it’s just always going to be filled with hate. And to be quite frank, I don’t really care about the other side or whatever decisions they personally choose to make.” Herrera said other students’ perception of her opinion — which may oppose the beliefs of many others on campus — does not affect her. “It’s not going to matter at the end of the day if this girl doesn’t like me because of my stance on immigration,” she said.
school commons. There will be 166 roses, which represent the 166 exonerated, innocent people in 2016. Each vase will also have a statistic about wrongful convictions. “White has that association with innocence. We wanted to have a good visual display,” Gustin said. “Every single year we’re seeing increasing numbers. Every year for the past five years has been a record-breaking number of exonerations.” Gustin said the average innocent, convicted person spends between 8-and-ahalf to 14 years of their life in jail. She said the longest sentence an innocent person has served — according to current knowledge — is 35 years. Innocence Projects are inundated with mail and tasked with the responsibility of determining which cases have merit, Gustin said. “You’re looking for someone who has a good story,” she said. “Something that seems like a legitimate alibi
and maybe they say in the letter that they have 10 people that can prove it. Once you get past that initial stage the attorneys will start reviewing your documentation and your record. They basically go back and do the police and prosecutor’s job all over again.” Gustin said about 40 percent of jurors will assume a defendant is guilty just because they are in court. This brings up the question of whether the presumption of innocence ever existed, Gustin said. A lot of the responsibility comes down to police officers and ensuring that they receive adequate training, in skills such as asking open-ended questions and using proper interrogation techniques, she said. Gustin also said Conviction Integrity Units (CIU) aim to do the work of Innocence Projects and correct prosecutorial mistakes. However, she said, there’s a bias that exists since they
are run by the prosecutor’s office and therefore review their colleagues’ work. Some of them also do not have publicly available information, she said. “At least until recently, conviction integrity units have not done a good job,” she said. “So I think it’s just that a lot of the successful work comes from the private side. It comes from attorneys who are required to do pro-bono work and the attorneys that go above and beyond their requirements.” The Notre Dame Exoneration Project was started in fall of 2016 and Gustin said the long-term goal is a criminal conviction clinic at the law school. Currently, the students involved are working on two wrongful homicide convictions in Elkhart. “It fits right in line with the mission,” she said. “Our marketing slogan is a different kind of law yer. Really what that means is an attorney
who is really invested in giving back to the community.” Gustin said some people are content with saying that the current justice system works and they “put band-aids on as problems come up.” “Unfortunately our system is very quick to convict but it’s very hard to get you out,” she said. She said she hopes the white roses on the tables helps bring more awareness to exoneration efforts and the gravity of the justice problem. “We’re a year old, we’ve had fantastic progress and I really credit that to hard work from the executive board because their excitement makes other people excited and also the Notre Dame Law Students,” Gustin said. “We want people to sit and enjoy the f lowers, but also be confronted with this very uncomfortable statistic.”
Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu and Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu
Contact Selena Ponio at sponio@nd.edu
The observer | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
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ANDREA SAVAGE | The Observer
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The observer | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Inside Column
Existing in the grey Ciara Hopkinson News Writer
I remember the first time I realized things don’t always pan out as we expect. It was junior year of high school, two weeks in, the day I got my first physics test back and had a mini mid-life crisis. For someone who was convinced she wanted to be a famous female engineer for all of middle school, realizing that I not only was not particularly good at physics, but that I actually hated the subject, was a major shock to my system. What was I going to do? I didn’t have another plan; I had never really considered anything else. I had always been told that STEM careers were the most important, the most lucrative, the most impressive and therefore better. So I set off in search of a science that would interest me, all the while performing far better in the humanities, and decided neuroscience sounded pretty cool. I also remember the second time my career goals were shaken. It was freshmen year of college, a few weeks in, when I realized my discussion-based humanities seminar was about a thousand times more interesting than my general chemistry and calculus classes and admitted to myself that I did not want to spend most of my career in a lab. When it came time for registration, I disregarded the negative stereotypes of “arts and crafts” majors that had been pumped into my brain since elementary school and switched to the Program of Liberal Studies (PLS). I haven’t looked back. PLS involves a healthy dose of uncertainty. When classes revolve around trying to figure out what “the good” is, it’s not particularly surprising that any answers we come to are not black and white, but somewhere in the grey area between the two. People seem shocked when they ask what I want to do after graduation and my honest response is, “I don’t know.” I’m baffled by this. How can I pretend, as a 19-year-old, that I know what I want to do for the rest of my life? I’ve barely lived. Some may take that statement to mean I don’t have goals. I do. They involve being happy, feeling fulfilled and concretely improving the lives of others. I’ve simply realized it’s better to allow for some movement as far as goals go because life exists in the grey. When I told my parents I wanted to switch to PLS, their response was this: “You have four years to study what makes you happiest. Why would you spend them studying something that makes you miserable?” Their unfailing support and total trust in my ability to discover the right path for myself have given me the confidence to embrace the grey and pursue a life that accepts the inevitability of uncertainties rather than fears it. That freedom is unrivaled. Contact Ciara Hopkinson at chopkin1@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The downside of corporate life The final weeks of the 175th fall semester are upon the student body here at the University of Our Lady, a semester that has featured late nights of studying coupled with long days of classes and extracurriculars. But for upperclassmen, the fall semester brought with it a new animal: the corporate recruiting process. The corporate animal is not like anything experienced before — it is the ultimate transition into the adult world, the first step in a career that college has been preparing us for. And, for some, perhaps even most of the talented individuals at Notre Dame, these careers will prove quite lucrative. So it is understandable the fervor which surrounds such a process. But as our resumes are typed out, our shoes shone, our suits pressed and our shirts laundered, all the while drooling over how much money we will make at whatever prestigious firm we go to, we neglect what is lost. Or rather what this entire process has costs us, for everything has a cost. So I have set about giving a complete account of the costs as I have observed them. Time is our most scarce commodity. There is very little we can do to acquire any significantly greater amount of it, and our time at Notre Dame is all the scarcer. The Notre Dame undergraduate gets four years, just four years (or perhaps less) of living in a closely knit dorm community, only four years of football games on Saturdays. With such little time here, why should we be in such a rush to get a job and leave? Is it not comical that alumni wish they could come back, while the current student body can’t wait to grow up and leave? Don’t wait until it is gone to appreciate what we have right now, for it will be over shortly. And when it ends, it is over for good. Studying business especially requires a constant preoccupation with the future, stressing over how summers are to be spent, or what firm to sign with for after graduation — but what waits for us beyond graduation isn’t going anywhere. The corporate world will still be waiting when it is time for us to leave. But for most undergraduates, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Interviews and internships will quickly turn into 60-plus-hour work weeks, with what little time remains allocated to eating and sleeping. What use will the money we make be if we have no time during which to spend it, or worse yet, if the medium by which we acquire it makes us miserable? With all this time being dedicated to what we have to do, what time remains for what we want to do? The time we seem to be so willing to throw away is just the beginning of the problem. What is the value of this time compared to the quality of our lives? Our lives are worth living because we are individuals, independent individuals within a co-operative society. Because we hold beliefs, ideals and values that are unique to ourselves. This is what makes man so powerful. But the jobs we pursue, or that pursue us — however it goes — demand uniformity in everything that is to be done. There is no deviation from the collectivized mean. There exists a certain set of arbitrary rules, set long ago for reasons long forgotten, that govern nearly every aspect of corporate life. The rules of corporate society demand that we dress according to how it deems acceptable, carry ourselves in ways it deems acceptable and, most detrimentally, think in ways it deems acceptable. But before we subscribe to such precedents, have we first considered who established such rules for the way we
go about our lives, or whether we find such rules to be agreeable? The idea of freedom is being able to live according to how one sees fit, and we Americans are quick to brag about of all the liberal freedoms that we enjoy. But are we truly free if we are told how to dress, how to think and how to act? Or have we traded one form of tyranny for another? We each have our own values, ideals and thoughts, and the way we dress, act and think should reflect these. But when we assent to the demand for uniformity we become cogs in a machine, indistinguishable from every other moving part and soon forgotten. Yet still we offer ourselves up to the corporate world, attempting to fit the mold that has been impressed upon us of the “ideal” job candidate. Such an expectation is impossible to live up to. Yet we still try, joining new clubs, working new jobs and pursuing majors and minors because they will “look good on a resume.” But might I ask what it even means for something to “look good on a resume?” For whom is it so pleasing to see these things on our resumes? Ourselves? Certainly not. More than likely what “looks so good” is done to impress whoever looks upon them, or more directly, in the servile attempt to gain the rubber stamp of approval from individuals we don’t really know and who don’t know us — but who we let tell us how to live our lives anyway. But if such things make us unhappy, or even detracts from the things that we are interested in being involved in, then what good is a perfect resume? In doing such, we become perfectly hollow. Obsequiousness soon becomes pure superficiality. At that point, our resumes are become Scantrons. We write our life’s accomplishments on a single sheet of paper, hoping that we have filled in all the right bubbles that will match a standard answer key corresponding to a certain employer. Should our lives be judged objectively according to standard that we have not set? We have been taught that the golden solution to all life’s problems is to work harder, and in certain cases this may be true. But before doing so, wouldn’t it also be worthwhile to assess whether the work to be done is worth doing? Or rather is this work just a mechanism by which we bury our heads in the proverbial sand and hide from our real problems? In other words, should we not ask what is to be gotten out of such work? Is it money? Prestige? Social status? Will all the money we make allow us to buy our way into heaven? Will making partner make us a better person? This is exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 16:26 when he said: “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” We are far too willing to sell our souls and chain ourselves to a desk for 30 years, in the hope that we may one day retire as wealthy individuals, all the while squandering away perhaps the best years of our lives. This is done for what is called status, the idea that money places one above others in the social hierarchy, that it confers a sort of privilege in our society. And this may be so — who I am to reject such a statement. But would we rather be judges according to the depth of our pockets or the character of our person?
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Mental health awareness Show Some Skin Isabel Rooper
Last week, in the aftermath of the horrific attack in a Texan church, President Trump steered discussion from gun control by saying, “Mental health is your problem here.” After the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, Paul Ryan argued, “The common theme with these types of shootings is mental illness.” In 2012, following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementar y, National Rif le Association CEO Wayne LaPierre advocated for a national database of “lunatics.” The true devastation of these tragedies can be lost in repetition. We should not lose sight of the humanity of ever y life lost. We can likely all agree that the disturbing recurrence of such tragedies devastates our nation; that too many have died; that something must be done. Mental illness affects one in five American adults, while serious mental illness (including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression) affects one in 25 Americans. Notre Dame’s University Counseling Center reports that 26 percent of the last three graduating classes sought its counseling resources. Of course, not all who have visited the UCC experience mental illness, but some do. Yet despite the significant population whom mental illness affects, only 3 to 5 percent of violent acts can be attributed to people with a serious mental illness. W hen politicians (usually Republican, though not always) attribute mass shootings to mental illness, they expose a deep misunderstanding of what mental illness is while unfairly and inaccurately demonizing those who struggle with it. According to the National A lliance on Mental
Illness, mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood. Mental illness can include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia and more. Some people may choose to treat their mental illness through medication or counseling, while others may persevere without a diagnosis or treatment. Furthermore, mental illness is not something that can be controlled through will power, a sign of mental weakness or a predisposing factor to violence. There can be no dispute: People with serious mental illness have perpetrated mass shootings. However, mass shootings account for only a small percentage of overall gun violence. The mainstream media’s anecdotal coverage of these mass atrocities distorts the reality of gun-related deaths. More than 60 percent of deaths inf licted by guns are suicides. Though it is difficult to find an exact number, medical professionals widely recognize mental illness as a major risk factor for suicide. Moreover, less than 5 percent of all gunrelated killings (excluding suicide) from 2001 to 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with a mental illness. On the contrar y, people with serious mental illness are at least ten times more likely to be victims of gun violence. These preceding statistics demonstrate that mental illness is not necessarily predictive of violence. Even if we “cured” all people with mental illness, violent crime would not cease. Contrar y to this understanding, mental illness is often portrayed by the media and in society as the determinative factor of violent crime. In daily life, we misunderstand mental illness not only by describing mass shooters as “lunatics” and “crazy,” but also, perhaps more egregiously, by demanding that a depressed friend simply “snap
out of it,” that an anorexic friend “eat more,” that a friend with ADHD “just focus already.” We cannot continue to stigmatize mental illness in this way, especially when many on our own campus struggle in silence. By inaccurately repeating politicized rhetoric that mental illness causes violent tendencies, we condition those who experience mental illness to adopt a negative self-stigma, decreasing chances that they will seek out help. Mental illness does not make you violent. Mental illness does not make you weak. Mental illness does not make you a bad person. Rather, mental illness is common and often treatable with support, counseling and, sometimes, medication. We must extend the conversation about mental illness beyond mass atrocities and suicides. Listen to the stories of those living with mental illness, and expand your perception of mental illness beyond a single narrative. Recognize that there are high-functioning, intelligent, productive people with mental illness all around us. We cannot continue to shame them. Because ultimately, mental illness is not black and white: There is no “us” and “them.” To those coping with mental illness, I stand among you. Contact Isabel Rooper at irooper@nd.edu Show Some Skin is a student-run initiative committed to giving voice to unspoken narratives about identity and difference. Using the art of storytelling as a catalyst for positive social change across campus, we seek to make Notre Dame a more open and welcoming place for all. If you are interested in breaking the silence and getting involved with Show Some Skin, email nreifenb@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
When nights are slumberless Ariel Dominguez Solidarity
The effects a bad night’s sleep can have is not to be underestimated, and though the causes of insomnia can be difficult to determine, its negative consequences are readily apparent. Daytime sleepiness, irritability, difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness are just some of the immediate results of failing to get the clinically recommended seven to nine hours. Of course, the schedule of a typical college student can be, in comparison to most of the population, odd to say the least. A regular sleep pattern is easy to lose track of in the midst of so much work to do and so many social events to explore. But high-quality sleep must remain a priority if we’re to perform at our best, and for the “50 to
70 millions of Americans” who suffer from sleep disorders, it certainly is not. To that end, if you’ve been having consistent difficulties with getting adequate rest, there are plenty of home remedies you can try. The key is to maintain proper sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene merely refers to the actions you take (and the things you avoid) in preparing for bedtime. The first, and perhaps the most difficult to follow, is to keep to the same routine. That is, ideally you should go to bed and wake up at the same times each day. We are creatures of habit, and having a routine allows your body to anticipate bedtime, releasing the melatonin so essential for drowsiness. Second, if you have a tendency of waking up during the night, do not stay in bed. Sit on a chair, read some poetry or pray a rosary until you feel sleepy again. Just make sure you avoid any electronics throughout
the night (blue-light interferes with the circadian rhythm.) Regular exercise can also be great, just try not to workout in the hours approximating your bedtime, lest the endorphins and excitement keep you awake longer than you would otherwise. Finally, the University McWell Center, located on the second f loor of St.Liam’s offers many resources and tips, including a free sleep aid packet. Sleep, like diet and exercise, inf luences all other areas of our lives. A consistent lack of it can even make you depressed. However, with proper sleep-hygiene, any sleep debt can be paid off in no time. Ariel is a junior from the Bronx, New York, living in Dunne Hall. Please send your invectives and Snapchats to pdoming2@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | Wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | Will Shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Establish your destination and refuse to let anyone cloud your vision. Know what you want and make it happen. Embrace being different or trying something new and you will find out you are pretty good at things you never imagined. Love and self-worth are featured this year. A positive attitude and healthy lifestyle will be your tickets to success and happiness. Your numbers are 8, 12, 23, 29, 32, 40, 46. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Plan your actions and execute them with flair. You’ll be able to capture attention and make headway when discussing travel plans or educational pursuits with someone you want to take on new challenges with. Your enthusiasm will be persuasive. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Anger will not get you ahead, but demonstrating control and channeling your energy into a job well done will make an impression that won’t go unnoticed. Celebrate your accomplishments with someone you love. Romance is highlighted. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Go where the action is. Be part of the future instead of hanging on to the past. Share information and partner with people who are heading in a similar direction as you. Network, but don’t commit to anything too quickly. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Problems at home will surface if you want everything done your way. Try to get along with the people you deal with and you’ll discover it will be easier to get things accomplished. Partnerships need to be nurtured, not tested. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Travel plans, educational pursuits and taking care of what’s important to you should be high on your to-do list. Temptation, overreacting and indulgence will be your downfall. Being overly generous or trying to buy love is not recommended. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Direct your energy into activities that will help improve your surroundings at work and at home. A positive change will help you avoid criticism or complaints from people you deal with daily. Use incentives to get your way. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’ll be sensitive to what others do or say. Be aware of your reactions and try to respond in a reasonable fashion. Working alone or striving to gather information as you move forward will help you avoid making a mistake. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): It’s all about you and those closest to you. Don’t feel like you have to fold to demands from people who are pushy about where or how you should spend your cash. Be true to yourself and make your choices clear. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you want change, make it happen. Share your ideas with peers or those you are going to engage in a partnership with. Ironing out the finer details will help you gain approval. Don’t get angry or frustrated, get moving. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An emotional incident will develop into an argument if you aren’t careful. Listen to explanations and work with others in order to get the most out of any situation you encounter. Compassion and understanding will be required. AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An opportunity is within reach, but you can’t let anyone interfere with your plans. Don’t expect anything from others and you won’t be disappointed. Do your own thing and you will have no regrets. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Someone in a position to put demands on you will cause problems. Don’t let your emotions and anger take over or you will end up in a no-win situation. Your best alternative is to focus on ways to become self-sufficient. Birthday Baby: You are unique, creative and compassionate. You are suggestive and persuasive.
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SWimming & DIVING
Bears will keep losing to Packers Michael Ivey Sports Writer
A couple of weeks ago, my good friend and fellow columnist Marek Mazurek wrote an article responding to a piece I had written earlier about the Chicago Bears and how I didn’t believe they would be able to put a positive spin on their season. In his column, Marek expressed a more optimistic mindset about the direction of the franchise and said that Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky will be at the forefront of that bright future. I respect Marek’s opinion. Hell, in the end I hope he’s right and the Bears are able to finally figure it out after years of running in circles. But for now it just doesn’t look that way. The Bears are currently 3-6 after Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Another thing that has me doubting the future of this team — the four word statement “loss to the Packers.” Over the years, Bears fans have heard those four words way too often. Since 1990, the Bears’ record against their most hated rival is 18-39. The two wins the Packers have picked up against the Bears this season has given them the advantage in the all-time series head-to-head record at 96-946, a lead the Bears once held comfortably. Ever since Brett Favre came into the picture 25 years ago, the Bears have been the little brother that gets smacked around by big brother in the most historic sibling rivalry in NFL history. Once Favre “retired” from the Packers, Aaron Rodgers took over as the grim reaper of the Chicago Bears. If the Bears are ever going to get their franchise back on track again, a big component will be winning divisional games, especially ones against Green Bay. It’s not just that the Bears lose. It’s also how they lose. Take Sunday for example. The Packers came into Soldier Field on a three-game losing streak dating back to the injury of Rodgers. Green Bay looked so bad that tight end Martellus Bennet actually quit on the team. Then they got the win they so desperately needed against none other than the Bears. Packers backup quarterback Brett Hundley led his team to a gritty win when they needed it the most. Even without Rodgers, the Bears still couldn’t beat the Packers. Trubisky looked pretty good during the game, finishing 21-35 with 297 yards and a touchdown pass. There’s still plenty of room to grow, but the young quarterback will soon have to learn how to face a Packer team with the added
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boost of Rodgers in the lineup. Rodgers seems to know the exact formula of how to make Bears fans miserable. Take last season’s Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field for instance. The Bears were well out of playoff contention, but the Packers were in the midst of a race for the division championship. For us Bears fans, nothing would have been sweeter than knocking the Packers out of contention. It seemed like it could happen too. The Bears scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 27-27. The Packers faced third-and-11 with 40 seconds to go before overtime. Rodgers proceeded to throw a 60yard completion to Jordy Nelson to put the Packers in field goal range. They kicked a field goal and won 30-27. Then there are the games that actually meant a lot to the Bears. In the final game of the 2013 season, the Bears and Packers met in a game that would decide the winner of the division, with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention. The Bears were winning 28-27 with 46 seconds left in the game and the Packers facing a fourth down with eight yards to go. With their season on the line, Rodgers threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb to give Green Bay a 33-28 lead. The Packers moved on. The Bears went home. Oh yeah, there was also that time the Packers beat the Bears 21-14 in the 2010 NFC conference championship game to advance to Super Bowl XLV, which they would eventually win. The Packers eliminating the Bears on their way to winning the Super Bowl. It doesn’t get any worse than that. The rivalry has become a joke, and the Bears are the punch line. A lot of the Bears’ struggles in recent years can be traced back to bad coaching and personnel decisions. Former Bears head coach Lovie Smith used to be the target of a lot of criticism, and for good reason. But one thing you couldn’t criticize him for was his passion for the rivalry with the Packers. It’s hard to figure out if current Bears head coach John Fox is passionate about anything. In the end I hope Marek’s prediction is correct. Who knows, maybe Trubisky will become the grim reaper of the Green Bay Packers the way Rodgers currently is to the Bears. Maybe the Bears will finally get over the hump and regain their pride in the rivalry. Years of traumatic experiences have made it hard for me to believe it will happen, though. Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Irish sweep Bearcats, split against host Hoosiers By MIA BERRY Sports Writer
The No. 13 men’s and the No. 18 women’s swimming and diving teams earned a victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats over the weekend. While the men’s team fell to No. 1 Indiana, the women’s team defeated the ninth-ranked Hoosiers. Heading into their matchup with the No. 1 men’s and No. 9 women’s Indiana teams, the Irish knew that upending the No. 1 ranked team would be a tall order. Head coach Mike Litzinger said the team’s mindset was to compete at a high level, and if they did so a win would be possible. Last Thursday down in Bloomington, Indiana, the Irish did partially accomplish that goal. The women’s team executed Litzinger’s plan to perfection to beat out the Bearcats 205-38, followed by the Hoosiers 123-120. The women’s team victory was highlighted by first place victories from sophomore Abbie Dolan in the 100-yard and 200yard freestyle, sophomore Erin Sheehan in the 100-yard butterfly, freshman Lindsay Stone
in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the women’s 200-yard relay. Dolan’s performance against the Hoosiers earned her a second ACC swimmer of the week citation this season. Despite falling short to the Hoosiers 146-95, a team that featured senior Olympians in Blake Pieroni and Michael Hixon, the Irish men did earn a team victory against the Bearcats (182-61), in addition to individual team victories. Top performers for the men’s team included first-place victories from freshman Zachary Yeadon in the 500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyles, sophomore Jack Montesi in the 100yard backstroke, junior Daniel Speers in the 50-yard freestyle and senior Joe Coumos, who recorded a season high 368.80 in the men’s 1-meter dive. After Thursday’s sweep of the Bobcats and split against the Hoosiers, Litzinger is determined not to let the loss change the team’s approach heading into the Ohio State Invitational. “It doesn’t change our approach a whole lot,” Litzinger said. “What it does is allows us to get a look at the whole team, with multiple relays in
a championship setting. It will help determine what direction we take people into the championship stretch next semester.” As their fall season slowly winds down, Litzinger is impressed with his team’s showing throughout the fall season, which included the men’s team going 2-2 against ranked opponents and the women’s team 3-1 record. Litzinger believes that the tough fall season, schedule-wise, has proven that his team can compete against highly ranked opponents. “I like the direction we are heading, and I like our competitive spirit,” he said. “We can stand toe to toe with some of the best in the NCAA.” The Irish will conclude their fall season when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend, where they will compete at the Ohio State Invitational — a meet that will include multiple top-25 ranked teams in the nation. The Ohio State Invitational will be a three-day meet, running Friday through Sunday. Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Senior diver Peter Myers prepares for a dive at the Rolfs Aquatics Center on Oct. 10 against Texas A&M. The Irish fell to the Aggies with a score of 159.5-193.5 for the men and 136-211 for the women. The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.
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XC Continued from page 12
after not finishing in an automatic qualification spot and not convincing the NCAA committee for an at-large spot. Sparks commented on how the Irish had not been impressive enough throughout the season to convince the committee, but also added that the future is bright for the young team. “On the women’s side it was, by far, our best team performance of the year. We just didn’t do enough during the regular season to give ourselves a resume to get in that at-large invitation to the national meet. The five teams in front of us all got into the national meet and we were one of the last teams to get left out,” Sparks said. “But, we’re excited for the future. The women return six of the seven that ran this weekend, and the men return five of the seven that competed this weekend,” he added. “So, we got a good push towards next year with the nucleus of those teams coming back.” Despite not making it to the national meet, the Irish did manage to upset Ohio State, who were coming into the Regional as favorites to make it to the national meet. Sparks commented on how positive and important that was for the team. “Yeah, they were a team that was ranked 25th in the country and a favorite to get into the national meet. So, we put a damper on their possibilities to qualify by us beating them,” Sparks said. “Once again it was a little bittersweet, but we want to find some positive and that was a good thing that we had going for us there and
W Bball Continued from page 12
racking up 19 points and 12 rebounds. McGraw said the Notre Dame gameplan to send the ball to Shepard in the paint early paid off, however, going forward, she wants to find different ways to integrate all the other facets of Shepard’s game into the Irish offense. “We started the game really trying to find [Shepard] inside and we were pretty successful, but she’s got some work to do,” McGraw said. “We need to be able to get her the ball more. She’s such a good passer. I want her high and I want her low at the same time, so we just need to find somebody that can get her the ball. Huge difference in our team with her.” Junior guard Arike Ogunbowale turned on the heat in the second quarter, knocking down a jump shot at the start of the quarter and the first Irish 3-pointer of the evening with 6:22 to play, to break the tie the Hilltoppers had played to, giving the Irish a 24-21 lead they would not relinquish. Ogunbowale, who was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-30 earlier in the day Tuesday, finished the
that we could find some light at the end of the season.” After this bittersweet ending, leadership is key for keeping the team mentally healthy. Sparks commented on how important the role of team captains are and how different it was for the women’s team this year after the loss of team captain Anna Rohrer. “[The roles of a captain are] a little bit different for each person. We’ve got several captains that lead a little bit more by example, that’s a little bit where Brent Kennedy would come in but, Kevin Pulliam — the other captain of the men’s team — is a little bit more vocal. He’s not afraid to call people out, and he’s a little bit more loud when it’s time to be loud,” Sparks said. “Almost equally as important is the role of being the liaison between the coach and the team, and keeping the coach abreast of any concerns or questions that the team might have. “You know, losing Anna Rohrer who was our leader on the course — she was third in the nation last year, is redshirting this year and is she’s also a team captain — that was almost a double blow there. But, Rachel DaDamio had to pick up a lot of the slack. She’s one of our other captains on the women’s side. She had to wear a lot of different hats this year as far as being vocal, being the liaison with coach and trying to be that person that always leads by example — and she did a very good job of that.” Sparks also reflected on the entire season and how important it is to takeaway positives, while also noting what could be improved. “I think everyone learned a lot
about what their strengths and weaknesses are and what they need to work on going forward. I think that if you can end the season recognizing those things, you can always come out with some positive experiences of it,” he said. “I think sometimes you can learn just as well from a negative as you can a positive. “We had a couple of challenging races this year. And I think, through those challenges, everybody grew as people and learned what they need to work on and what they can do to better contribute to the team. I think everybody learned from those experiences and will come out of this cross country season better and more ready for track.” There is still a bright future for the Irish, however, as a successful recruiting period will add top runners to both squads next season, combined with the fact that most members of the current team are set to return. Sparks talked about how the Irish runners are excited for the future of the team. “On the women’s side, we’ll get Anna back next year. And then we’ve signed two of the top girls in the country coming in the next year,” he said. “On the men’s side, nearly that entire team returns, but they’ve also signed what’s arguably the top recruiting class in the country with three of the top-10 ranked guys in the country coming in. “So, for both sides, there’s a positive feeling even though we ended on just missing the national meet. There’s a positive feeling going into 2018 as far as what we feel like we can do.”
game with a team-high 21 points. After coming off a 121-point showing over Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, McGraw credited a strong Western Kentucky defense with the ability to slow the Irish offense. The Irish nabbed 49 rebounds on the night, only five more than Western Kentucky’s 44. “I thought the zone really slowed us down. We didn’t rebound,” McGraw said. “They had 17 offensive rebounds at halftime. When you don’t rebound, it’s hard to get out and run, which it what we want to do and we kind of want it to be easy sometimes, so we need a lot more work pushing the ball against the zone. “I thought we had a lot more opportunities to push the ball inside that we didn’t take, we settled for the three a little too much. And you know, when you go 4-for-22 from the 3-point line, you’re not going to score a lot of points. We scored 78, which will probably be right about our average.” Three-point shooting proved problematic for the Irish, as only three players were able to drain buckets from beyond the arc. Aside from Ogunbowale’s tiebreaker, graduate student guard Lili Thompson hit two threes in the fourth quarter to help stretch the Irish lead and junior guard
Marina Mabrey hit another in the third quarter for her lone points of the night. Mabrey went 1-for-9 from the field. McGraw was particularly pleased with the performance of freshman center Mikayla Vaughn, who went 8-for-9 shooting for 17 points and picked up seven rebounds. “We don’t have a lot of depth. We both played seven and that’s how it’s going to be for us until [senior forward] Kathryn Westbeld gets healthy,” she said. “I was really pleased with Mikayla Vaughn; I thought for a freshman in this environment played really, really well.” Westbeld, who is still recovering from surgery on her ankle, played 20 minutes against the Hilltoppers, collecting five rebounds and two assists. The senior failed to convert on any of her three shooting attempts from the field, however. The Irish pulled away from the Hilltoppers in the fourth quarter, shutting them out of the game and sealing the 13-point victory with a pair of free throws from Ogunbowale. The Irish head to Corvallis, Oregon, to take on No. 18 Oregon State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu
Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu
Football Continued from page 12
off blocks. You have to be able to make tackles against a very good and well-disciplined football team, a team that fights for four quarters. They’ve won close games. They manage the clock very well. They play smart football. It will be a great challenge for us. “…We’ve got to get the football, take it away, and revert back to some of the things that we were doing defensively. If we can get some turnovers and get some points relative to touchdowns instead of field goals, then we’ll put ourselves in a much better position against a very good opponent.” Last year, the Irish only managed six offensive possessions in a 28-27 loss to Nav y in Jacksonville, Florida. Kelly said Notre Dame has to do a better job of getting off the field defensively and finishing drives against the Midshipmen. “We’ve got to get back to playing that kind of defense where we’re much more aggressive,” Kelly said. “We’re defeating individual blocks and making plays on third down to get off the field. We need more than six possessions. Six possessions is not going to do it. It’s too razor thin. “…Offensively, we have to be able to score. Last year, obviously, we scored, but we didn’t score touchdowns. You have to score touchdowns. You have to finish off your drives. You have to be extremely efficient, and that’s what their offense forces you to do is to be extremely efficient on offense.”
Rebounding Hurricanes
from
the
Despite the fact that the 41-8 loss to Miami all but dooms Notre Dame’s playoff hopes, Kelly said the focus of the program hasn’t
Fencing Continued from page 12
in Kansas City, Missouri. Competition took place Friday through Monday at the event. Freshman epeeist Stephen Ewart finished first overall in the Junior Men’s Epee, while sophomore Zachar y Cheng finished in 16th place. In the Women’s Junior Epee, sophomore Julia Barr y came in 49th place. On Saturday, there were six women competing in the Women’s Junior Foil, w ith freshman Erica Tsai finishing the highest among the group in 11th place, followed not far behind by sophomores
changed, and the Irish can get back on track with a win against Nav y. “We coach our players on a day-to-day basis to the mission of our university and to the mission of our football program, and that is to graduate all of our players and play for a National Championship,” Kelly said. “Every day we’re working on the traits to develop our players. Miami played really well. We didn’t play to our level. We’re back at it this week. And we’ll get back at it this week, and we’ll play hard for Notre Dame, and that’s really what we invest ourselves with on a dayto-day basis. We can’t get caught up in anything else. So that is left up for other people to judge. “… Clearly, the most important thing for our guys right now is to get back on the winning ways. They can count. They know how important it is to win and win games, and they know, if they win football games, good things will happen down the road. We were 7-2 or 7-1, and they put us up there and said how great we were, and then we haven’t played quite as well. W hat we’ve done is refocused our guys back on day to day. We’ve been really good when it’s been day to day. “So that’s been the focus this week. Let’s get back to each day, and let’s have a great Tuesday. And then whatever happens later, then that’s great because it’s really about your preparation. If you do a great job, you’ve seen how well you’ve played. And then they’ll all love you again. So let’s just work on preparation on Tuesday and Wednesday and send our seniors off on Saturday to win. They deserve that. They’ve done a great job of redirecting our program back to where it needs to be, and that’s really the most important thing.” Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
Samantha Viqueira in 17th and Finnula Mageras in 19th. Sunday saw no action from the Irish, but they were back Monday as Panteleev finished 26th in the Junior Men’s Saber and freshman Joseph Marino was able to pull out a ninthplace finish in the Junior Men’s Foil. This time around, all team members w ill have a rather long break from action as until the December USA Fencing North American Cup gets underway in Portland, Oregon from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11. Until then, the Irish w ill continue to prepare as they seek to defend their national title in 2018.
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The observer | wednesday, november 15, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
FOOTBALL
ND WOMEN’S Basketball | nd 78, western kentucky 65
Irish refocus for Navy, Senior Day By TOBIAS HOONHOUT Associate Sports Editor
Coming off of a crushing loss to Miami this past weekend, Brian Kelly discussed how the Irish can get back to their winning ways on Saturday against Nav y. The matchup with the Midshipmen, which will be the 91st consecutive meeting with Notre Dame — the longest rivalry in college football — will also serve as Senior Day for the program. Kelly said he hopes to send his seniors out on a strong note. “This weekend we’ve got 26 academic seniors and/or graduates that will be honored before the game, and some are playing in their last home game at Notre Dame,” Kelly said. “So very, very important game, obviously, for them and for our football team and important for us to get back to playing to our standard. “That standard is set by the jerseys and the uniforms
that we’ll be wearing. We’ll be wearing Rockne uniforms. There isn’t a better name that you could be wearing that has set the standard of excellence for Notre Dame football.”
Notre Dame struggles offensively, pulls out win By ELIZABETH GREASON Sports Editor
Despite facing Navy every year, the Irish always face a new challenge preparing for the Midshipmen, particularly with the triple option offense and time of possession. Kelly said Notre Dame needs to get back to the fundamentals in order to be successful. “It’s about getting back to our traits, and you have to have an incredible attention to detail when you play Navy and their offense,” he said. “I think everybody knows quite well how prolific they are and how difficult they are to stop. They do things offensively that teams each and every week struggle to defend. “… You have to play physical. You have to be able to get
Western Kentucky played No. 6 Notre Dame close. Too close for comfort for much of the first half. Ultimately though, the Irish (2-0) pulled away in the fourth quarter, giving them the 78-65 victory over the Hilltoppers (1-2). Irish head coach Muffet McGraw praised the Western Kentucky squad, saying she expects it to go far this season. “They’re a really good team. I’m really impressed with the job that [head coach] Michelle [Clark-Heard is] doing,” McGraw said. “Really well coached. Their zone gave us a lot of trouble and they are a very good team that’s going to do a lot of damage in the conference.” Irish junior forward Jessica Shepard led the charge for the Irish, making up 11 of Notre Dame’s 17 first quarter points. The Nebraska transfer eventually tallied a double-double,
see FOOTBALL PAGE 10
see W BBALL PAGE 10
Facing Navy
ND CROSS COUNTRY | Great lakes regional
By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO
ND builds on last year’s title run Observer Sports Staff
Sports Writer
see CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 10
Irish junior guard Arike Ogunbowale dribbles down the court during Notre Dame’s 121-65 win Saturday over Mount St. Mary’s.
FENCING | elite invitational
Squads’ seasons cut short, optimistic about future Notre Dame finished its season by finishing in the top 10 at the Great Lakes Regional. The men’s team finished in ninth and the women’s team finished in sixth. The tournament included stellar performances by junior Annie Heffernan and freshman Yared Nuguse. Heffernan finished in 16th place and Yared finished in 19th place in the 6,000-meter and 10,000-meter race, respectively. Associate head coach Matt Sparks praised both individual performances. “Individually we had a couple of great performances, Annie and especially Yared, as a freshman, to finish in the top-25 — top 25 is All-Region — so it was especially exciting to see a freshman finish that high. A little bittersweet in that neither one of them qualified individually and that the teams didn’t qualify,” Sparks said. The Irish failed to make the cut for the NCAA Championships
EDDIE GRIESEDIECK | The Observer
ANNA MASON | The Observer
Irish senior John Flannery competes in the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29 at the Burke Golf Course. The men finished 17th.
Notre Dame fencing comes into this season as the reigning 2017 NCAA Champions, and thus far they have picked up right where they left off starting two weeks ago at the Elite Invitational. Hosted by Ohio State on Nov. 5, the Irish women were able to sweep the competition, going 5-0 on the day to start their year off undefeated. On the other side, the men put together an impressive showing of their own, going 3-1 to open the season. The women made their way through the day by defeating Cornell, Ohio State, Air Force, North Carolina and Princeton, all by very sound scores inside French Field House. Some of the strongest performances came from junior epeeist Amanda Sirico, who went 13-0 on the day and freshman epeeist Dasha Yefremenko, who was 12-3 in competition. Senior sabre Francesca Russo and junior foil Elyssa Kleiner both put up
8-1 performances. On the men’s side, the first match of the day went to Ohio State in a tight battle, as the Buckeyes ultimately pulled out by a score of 1512. However, the rest of the day would belong to the Irish, as they took down Air Force, North Carolina and Princeton to conclude the event. Leading the way was sophomore sabre Arsenii Panteleev, who went 9-3; a pair of 6-2 performances in foil by junior Axel Kiefer and senior Hazem Khazbak; freshman foil Nick Itkin, who went 6-3 and senior epeeist Nicholas Hanahan, who put up an 8-4 mark on the day. For the Irish, the Elite Invitational concluded collegiate competition for a while as the team will not compete again until Jan. 20 at the St. John’s Invitational in Jamaica, New York. For some members of the team, however, there was action just this past weekend at the USA Fencing North American Cup see FENCING PAGE 10